Imperial students sound the alarm on fossil fuel investments

Divest Imperial, an Imperial College Union-affiliated environmental campaign group, held an on-campus protest demanding Imperial divests from fossil fuels.

The protest, which took place on Tuesday 20th November, was part of the National Day of Action for Divestment. Targeting universities across the UK, including Oxford, Cambridge, Leeds, Aberdeen, Newcastle and UCL, which have a combined £600m in fossil fuels, students across the country came together to demand our institutions "act on the urgency of the climate crisis" and to "call out universities that are behind the curve on climate action".

Jeff Clark, the President of Imperial College Environmental Society, told Felix the following:

"No environmental issue is more pressing than climate change. I am yet to hear a convincing argument in favour of continuing to fund the fossil fuel industry."

Divest Imperial has accused Imperial College of being "complicit in this crisis for too long" and is calling for Imperial to "fulfil its stated purpose - working to solve humanity's greatest challenges" by ending its "uncritical support for climate-wrecking companies". The campaigners wish to see "full divestment" of Imperial's £8.9m fossil fuel holdings.

This protest is just the latest in a campaign of student action which has spanned four years and shows no signs of abating. Members of Divest Imperial have promised to "keep protesting until Imperial College stands on the right side of history, removes its funding from the fossil fuel industry and re-invests in our future".

Despite over 1800 petition signatures, management at Imperial College London has previously refused to move its money, claiming that, "by working with fossil fuel companies, Imperial helps to solve climate change". Chris Wells, a campaigner at Divest Imperial, called Imperial out for what he feels is hypocrisy, stating:

"As a PhD student at Imperial working on climate change, I find it obscenely hypocritical that my university is funding the industry most responsible for the crisis."

In a statement provided to Felix on behalf of Divest Imperial, Imperial was accused of legitimising "climate denial, neo-colonialism and violence" by continuing to provide support (both financial and through research) to firms that "have blocked climate action for decades" as they "pursue ever more extreme forms of extraction incompatible with the Paris Agreement goals".

When approached for comment, Naomi Pratt, a campaigner at Divest Imperial who recently gave an interview to The Guardian about universities' continued affiliation with fossil fuel companies, said the following:

"We're in a period of ecological collapse and global humanitarian crisis, perpetuated in part by companies whose logos adorn this campus. Imperial needs to take a long, hard look at itself and its strategic relationships, and decide if it is serving people or profit".